Apparatus for the extraction of liquids such as petrol and all other hydrocarbons contained in jellies or like products



June 29, 1943. w J F. P. E. LABOUR 2,323,056

APPARATUS FOR THE EXTRACTION OF-LIQUIDS SUCH AS PETROL AND ALL OTHER HYDROCARBONS CONTAINED IN JELLIES OR LIKE PRODUCTS Filed NOV. 2, 1939 2 ShetS-SheQt 1' 3 N x 00 \NV'ENTOR.

June 1943. J. F. P. E. LABOUR ,323,056

APPARATUS FOR THE EXTRACTION 0F LIQUIDS SUCH AS T PETROL AND ALL OTHER HYDROCARBONS CONTAINED IN JELLIES on LIKE PRODUCTS Filed Nov. 2, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jean Fmngo'ls Ffihus Edouardiflbdur lNVENTOK k4 ATT'Y.

ntented June 29, 1943 APPARATUS FOR THE EXTRACTION 'OF LIQUIDS SUCH AS PETROL AND ALL OTHER HYDROCARBONS CONTAINED IN JELLIES OR LIKE PRODUCTS Jean Francois Pathus Edouard Labour,

in the Alien Property Custodian France; vested Paris,

Application November 2, 1939, Serial No. 302,568 In France October 29, 1938 2 Claims.

In known practice, petrol and other hydrocarbons are made proof against ignition by converting them into a jelly or like product which is practically solid, by the addition of various substances to these liquids. Moreover, such liquids are protected against all evaporation and are made subject to a more ready transportation and handling, by the form which can be given,

to the particles of the jelly or other substance obtained, such as balls, bricks or the like.

However, this solidification of petrol and like substances will only have a practical interest when it is possible to recover such petrol or other liquid in a qualitative and quantitative manner. But hitherto,.the various apparatus in use have only given mediocre results. Moreover, such ap-- paratus cannot operate continuously without overheating. In all cases, they can only recover a part of the petrol, and the greater part is lost either by evaporation or due to the fact that it cannot be extracted from the water of the jelly or from the agents employed for jelliflcation.

'Such apparatus consist of rolling mills, presses or centrifugal machinesv The rolling mills can only recover a small part of the petrol, and they represent apparatus of a very dificult construction. In fact, only to mention a detail, the pairs of rolls must be made entirely fluid-tight in their bearings, by placing them between two steel cheeks which are held by friction against a strip of rubber or like compressible substance. It is evident that such apparatus can only operate for a very short time, and that they are subject to an excessive heating Within a few minutes. On the other hand, the presses do not prove to be effective apparatus, and the centrifugal machines are still less adapted for the work in question.

The present invention has for its object a process and an apparatus for the application of the same, adapted for the extraction of liquids (petrol, various hydrocarbons, and the like), contalned'in jellies and like products, which process and apparatus will obviate the aforesaid drawbacks, i. e., they will operate in a continuous manner and will recover the whole of the petrol or other liquid, with its original properties.

The said process is chiefly characterized by the fact that it consists in grinding up the jelly or the like, within a liquid whose density is greater than that of the petrol or other liquid to be extracted, for instance in cold water, either by filling the greater part of the grinding apparatus with this liquid, or by taking advantage of the water or other liquid contained in this jelly in order to comply with this essential condition.

The operation of grinding in water or other liquid allords many advantages, and chiefly the following.

It eliminates all risk of evaporation of the petrol or other liquid to be extracted, since there will be no heating, during the grinding operation, owing to the presence of the water or other cold liquid in which the grinding takes place.

The petrol or other substance to be extracted, will be automatically separated by reason of the density.

The presence of water or other liquid will prevent the jelly from adhering to the grinding devices.

The apparatus adapted for the use of the improved process is chiefiy characterized by the fact that it comprises grinding means located in a chamber which can be filled with water or other liquid whose density is greater than that of the liquid to be separated from the jelly.

The said chamber comprises, at two different levels, two discharge orifices, an upper orifice for the liquid to be extracted, and a lower orifice for the excess of water (or other liquid) in which the grinding takes place and which draws off the whole or a part of the material composing the jelly (or like product) other than the liquid to be extracted, this second orifice being, however, situated at a suihcient height in order that the entire grinding mechanism shall be immersed in the water.

Further characteristics will be set forth in the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are given solely by way of example:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section of a first constructional form of the apparatus according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a. very diagrammatic view representing a vertical cross-section of the grinding mechanism.

Fig. 3 is an analogous section of another form of construction. 4

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus essentially comprises a cylindrical body or stator I mounted upon legs 2 or any other support adapted to give to its longitudinal axis XX an oblique direction. The said cylindrical body I comprises at its two ends two respective chambers 3 and 4 which are upwardly extended in the form of vertical conduits. Above the chamber 3 is mounted a loading hopper 5. At the level h h the chamber 3 is provided with flce I, with cock 8.

In the cylindrical bore of the stator I is mounted a cylindrical rotor ll having helical teeth of great pitch. The said rotor is secured to or is integral with a shaft H which is rotated in the direction of the arrow f by any suitable means, such as the gearing with worm-" wheel l2 and worm l3, for instance. The rotor II is in gear with a certain number of loose pinions consisting for example of cylinders l4 which are axially grooved and rotate about axes Y--Y which are inclined from the axis XX of the stator l and the rotor I! by the amount of inclination of the helical grooves in the said rotoi' lb.

The pinions l4 are situated in recesses I5 formed in the stator i, and their axles [6 are located, for instance, in notches in the said stator.

The bore of the stator is provided with helical grooves i8 having the contrary direction to that of the grooves in the rotor II). It is evident that the rotor can rotate with a very slight play in the grooved stator without any engagement between their grooves, which would have a locking effect.

The mechanism is completed by a screw i9 which is mounted on an extension of the shaft l I in the chamber 3, said screw I! being adapted to propel towards the stator, the jelly (or the like) which is poured into this chamber 3 by the hopper 5.

The operation is as follows:

The material under treatment is thus poured by the hopper 5 into the said chamber 3 and the entire machine, before it is started, is filled with water (or other liquid which is heavier than the' liquid to be extracted from the jelly) as far as the level h lt.

The shaft H carrying the rotor i0 is set running by means of the reducing worm-gearing l2, I! which gives it a slow movement of rotation in the direction such that the grooves of the rotor will drive, to the left, the material which the screw I 9 brings to the first set of pinions I4.

When it is engaged below the first sets of pinions, the material is taken up and is driven towards the successive groups, and it is thus ground up a great number of times, after which it is finally discharged at the left-hand end of the apparatus. All of these operations take place under water.

The separation between the water and the petrol (or other liquids) takes place by the difference in density. The water fiows out together with the reagents through the conduit 1 situated at the left-hand end of the apparatus, whilst the petrol which floats at 20 on the mass of water and reagents is discharged through the outlet 6.

Fig. 3 shows another constructional form of the apparatus. This latter is represented in the vertical position, but it might be placed in any other position.

Jelly and the walls of the said hopper, which are 76 seasons generally smooth. The lower part of the hopper contains a conveying device which may consist of a screw ill operated by a pulley 2i or otherwise. The said screw i9 is located in a cylindrical body 22 with horizontal axis, which is provided at 4 with a discharge conduit. The said cylindrical body 22 communicates" at the top with a column having a vertical axis, consisting of a set of rings 23 which are superposed and fit into one another. The lower ring rests upon a hollow base 24 provided at It with an emptying outlet with cock I. Upon the said base is also mounted, adjacent the column consisting of the rings 23, a second column 25 which is provided at the topwith an outlet I located at a level h h which is lower than th level h h of the lower internal generatrix of the cylindrical body 22.

In the column 23 is mounted a rotor "I which number of pinions with helical teeth, which are located in recesses l5 situated in proper position in the adjacent faces of the several rings 23. Between the successive rings, it is possible to place uniformly any desired number of pinions, six for instance. Such pinions l4 ar rotatable, for instance, upon cylindrical bosses I6 cast with the rings in the ends of the recesses I5 and entering into the recesses formed in the ends of the pinions, or inversely.

The pinions l4 may be oblique with reference to the vertical axis of the rotor ID, as herein represented, or they may be parallel to this axis. The helical teeth will obviously be designed in consequence. The pinions l4 might also have longitudinal teeth as shown in the first construction described, and in this case the rotor will have helical grooves of a greater pitch.

The operation is as follows. The apparatus is filled, to the level h h with water (or other liquid) whosedensity is greater than that 01' the petrol (or other liquid) to be extracted from the jelly (or similar substance) 1 The hopper 5 is filled with this jelly. The apparatus is then set running. The jelly is conveyed by thescrew l9 into the column 23, and the screw 34 drives it down between the rotor l0 and the pinions H.

The jelly is finely ground up in the successive rings. The water and the agents of which it is composed will gradually rise in the column 2| from which they will be discharged through the conduit 1. On the contrary, the petrol rises in the column 23, fills the horizontal cylinder 22 and flows out through the conduit 6. At no time will there be formed a mixture or an emulsion of the petrol and water. The separation between the petrol and the other constituents of the jelly takes place distinctly and without any loss.

In the vertical column 23, the water and the agents which have a greater density than the petrol will descend to the bottom, and will finally fill up this column, in which the water level will be the same as the level 71. h oi. the column 25.

Thus the operation will take place, after the apnerntus has been started, entirely under water, no in the case of the first apparatus described.

The conduit 8 may be provided with a filter, end even with e Florentine vessel, although this letter is not a, necessary feature.

The emptying conduit 8 serves to discharge the materiel which has not been brought over at i with the excess of water.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the emhoents herein described and represented, which are given solely by way of example.

Having now described my invention whet I cinim es new end desire to secure by Letters Petent is:

1. An epperntus for extracting at liquid formint port of s jelly comprising o, cylindrical! contniner having its longitudinal axis enguinrly disposed with relation to the horizontal and adaptto contein seid jelly and e, liquid having it erenter density then that of the liquid to he septwo discharge conduits communicating respectively with the bottom and with the upper part 01! said container and having each an outlet situated above the bottom of said container, the outlet of the conduit communicating with the bottom being lower than the outlet ofthe conduit communicating with the upper part of said container, and grinding means in said container situnted below the lower of said outlets, seld grinding means comprising a. toothed cylindrical rotor rotatably mounted in said container, toothed pinions meshing withsaid rotor and rotetebly mounted in recesses distributed on the inner periphery of said cylindrical container, and drivinn means adapted to rotate scid rotor.

2. An nppsrstus according to claim 1, in which said cylindrical container is further provided on its 2' periphery with ribs extending close to the outer periphery of sold rotor.

JEAN FRANQOIKS PA'I'HUS EDOUARD LABOUR. 

